Brayan Bello reportedly agrees to six-year contract extension with Red Sox

BOSTON -- Brayan Bello will remain a fixture in the Red Sox rotation for the foreseeable future. The right-handed starter has signed a six-year, $55 million extension with Boston, according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.

The contract also includes a seventh-year team option for $21 million, according to McDaniel. The sixth year covers what would have been Bello's first year of free agency. 

Given what starting pitchers are making these days -- and imagining what starting pitchers will make in the coming years -- this could be a giant bargain for the Red Sox.

Bello is coming off a 2023 season where we went 12-11 over 28 starts for Boston, sporting a 4.24 ERA with 132 strikeouts over 157 innings pitched. His overall numbers took a hit as he labored late in September and went 0-3 with a 9.60 ERA over his final three starts. Ahead of that stretch, Bello owned a 3.68 ERA and 1.282 WHIP for the season.

The Red Sox first signed Bello as an international free agent in 2017, and he made his Major League debut in 2022. For his career, Bello is 14-19 with a 4.37 ERA and 1.456 WHIP over 39 starts and a pair of relief appearances. 

The Red Sox are now hoping that Bello can develop into an ace. With his new contract -- and with Lucas Giolito potentially lost for the season -- Bello is going to be asked to step up in a big way in 2024. He could be tabbed as the team's Opening Day starter in Seattle on March 28, with Nick Pivetta the other option, according to Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

Bello wasn't set to hit free agency until 2028, but the deal gives him a nice raise and some security in the present. And for the Red Sox, they'll now have the promising young righty as part of their rotation for years to come. It fits in line with what Craig Breslow has set out to accomplish, which is locking in Boston's young talent before they hit the open market.

It's a refreshing approach after the team has said farewell to Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, and then had to go above and beyond to retain Rafael Devers on a massive 10-year, $313 million deal. Now that Bello is locked in for the long-term, Breslow can turn his attention to extending first baseman Triston Casas and outfielders Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu.